Justin Paul, a Westport, Conn. native, and Benj Pasek, who grew up in Philadelphia, attend "A Christmas Story: The Musical" Broadway opening at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Nov. 19, 2012, in New York City. The two wrote the music and lyrics for the show. Since starting out professionally five years ago, this songwriting duo have earned multiple honors and gained fans. They will tell tales of their work and perform songs from Broadway and television during a concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, April 7, 2013 at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Wilton, Conn. For more information, visit http://www.stmatthewswilton.org. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images) less

Justin Paul, a Westport, Conn. native, and Benj Pasek, who grew up in Philadelphia, attend "A Christmas Story: The Musical" Broadway opening at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Nov. 19, 2012, in New York City. The two ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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The songwriting duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have earned multiple honors and gained fans since starting out professionally about five years ago. Pasek, a Philadelphia native, and Paul, who grew up in Westport, Conn., will tell tales of their work and perform songs from Broadway and television during a concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, April 7, 2013 at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Wilton, Conn. For more information, visit http://www.stmatthewswilton.org. less

The songwriting duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have earned multiple honors and gained fans since starting out professionally about five years ago. Pasek, a Philadelphia native, and Paul, who grew up in ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Justin Paul, a Westport, Conn. native, and Benj Pasek, who grew up in Philadelphia, attend "A Christmas Story: The Musical" Broadway opening at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Nov. 19, 2012, in New York City. The two wrote the music and lyrics for the show. Since starting out professionally five years ago, this songwriting duo have earned multiple honors and gained fans. They will tell tales of their work and perform songs from Broadway and television during a concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, April 7, 2013 at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Wilton, Conn. For more information, visit http://www.stmatthewswilton.org. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images) less

Justin Paul, a Westport, Conn. native, and Benj Pasek, who grew up in Philadelphia, attend "A Christmas Story: The Musical" Broadway opening at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Nov. 19, 2012, in New York City. The two ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Westport native returns to tell stories, share songs from the Great White Way

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Even as the rest of the kids were clamoring to get onstage, Kevin Connors said there would be one who was more often drawn to the music.

"Justin would be the one looking over my shoulder as I played the piano, or at my elbow as I conducted the band," said Connors, the executive artistic director of the Westport-based Music Theatre of Connecticut. Justin Paul, who grew up in Westport, was only 8 when he began with this musical theater performance and training organization.

"He was always a great musical theater actor and performer, as well, though he doesn't get to do that as much now," said Connors, who has watched Paul develop from an aspiring performer into one-half of the award-winning song-writing team Pasek and Paul.

"They really have a different sound than anything else that is out there," Connors said of the duo that also includes Philadelphia native Benj Pasek. "That is the reason they have become so successful.

"They have an ability to write in the style of the piece, and their music really reflects that," said Connors, who has been a musical theater composer and director for about 30 years. "They are not so locked into their own sound, but rather look for what the piece needs."

Last year was a busy one for the rising stars, who earned the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2011. They gained attention for their work on Broadway's "A Christmas Story, The Musical," which had a record-breaking run at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The composers also saw their musical "Dogfight" open off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre. NBC's musical drama "Smash" will use several of their songs this year, too.

The two have been writing since they met at a summer orientation prior to their freshman year at the University of Michigan. They arrived at the school as performers, yet both were attracted to music composition and songwriting.

"The intent was that I was going to help him write better piano parts for his songs," said Paul, who was a talented pianist by the time he entered college. "Of course, when we got into the room, we didn't follow that plan. We let our attention spans wander."

What came out of that meeting was the kernel for "Edges -- A Song Cycle."

"We had decided that we would do a concert of our songs," said Paul, who lives in New York City. The two secured performance space and lined up an audience. But, there was just one problem, they did not feel they had enough for a full program.

"It got to the point that we were about to cancel, but then we decided to power through," Paul added. "We did this concert for one evening, that was it. But, from there it became a much bigger thing."

When the then-sophomores' material hit the Internet, it quickly grew, spawning a large online audience. The song "Be My Friend (The Facebook Song)" became a viral hit all on its own.

This coming-of-age musical journey has been produced worldwide since its professional premiere in Albany, N.Y., in 2007, the same year Pasek and Paul graduated college.

As a duo, Paul tends to the music, while Pasek works on the lyrics. Paul has worked with others too, including a 2011 project with his former Staples Players director and theater arts teacher David Roth and associate director Kerry Long.

Paul said the fact that he and Pasek also are performers has informed the songs they create.

"When we were starting out ... we would ask ourselves things like how would you want to perform this, what words would help me to act this out better."

Pasek and Paul concentrate on the theater, but they leave themselves plenty of latitude, Paul said. These days, multiple musical styles inspire and are reflected in musical theater.

Paul and Pasek's success as songmakers makes it difficult for them to do much performing. However, the two will be doing just that at Wilton's St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, along with Broadway singer and actor Carrie Manolakos, on Sunday, April 7. They plan to perform their songs from Broadway and television. Rodney Ayers, the church's music director, has been following their careers since he saw "Edges" in 2008 in Westport at MTC Main Stage.

"I'm so excited to see they have gone on to enjoy such great success," he said.